A couple of weeks back Shelbourne generously held a wedding forum for their brides and grooms to be. Not only that they had an outstanding service, excellent Proseco and breathtaking architecture, they have also given all their guests priceless advice. I would love to share some tips and tricks taken from Shelbourne Forum experts.

Food

1. During your food tastings make sure that you take into account all of your guests' allergies. You want a stress free, ambulance free wedding at the end of the day!

2. Try not to bring your whole family to the tasting. Too many opinions will affect your decision.

3. When the dinner is over, the first dance is over, the drinks are coming and about two hours into the music, you'd want to have some nibbles for the guests. 'After food' is something to keep in mind.

4. Keep in mind the season. You don't want to have a year old lamb served just because the lamb season is over.

5. Don't ask your Aunt Mary to make the cake. It will go a long way, trust me, if you order it from a professional.

2. A robe, will be a nice gift for your bridal party with their names on it. If everything goes to plan it is always nice to relax in a soft robe before putting on your dress.

3. You can get your handkerchiefs initialed and dated. It will be a nice keepsake for later on and it will definitely come in handy during the ceremony.

4. When choosing a headpiece, after you chose the theme of your wedding, bring it to your hair trial.

5. You can change your jewellery and create a wow factor with it. Wear a Church jewellery and Night jewellery by changing into long earrings and a bolder necklace.

6. Always, always, always have reception slippers. If you are tall wear lower heels for the day and for really nice photos on your own, change into higher heels.

7. New perfume. This smell will live with you forever. The smell will always bring back the memories of your wedding day. It can be a nice gift. A small splash on your wrap will most likely suffice.

Grooms

1. Choose a suit that suits the style of your wedding!

2. Make sure you get a correct fit of the suit. It is so easy to get an ill fitted suit that will just look awkward.

3. Get the feel of the fabric, make sure it's comfortable.

4. Experiment with colours! Take a couple of photos while wearing the suit to see how well it photographs.

5. You can add accessories such as a bow tie, a handkerchief, a cravat and a belt! A belt is important to wear with your suit so it's good to get a professional advice on the colours when you are choosing it.

6. Get a hair cut 2 weeks in advance. If something is too short it will grow back and will give the hair an opportunity to take it's natural shape and form. Experiment with highlights and take pictures with that hair style!

7. Blue suits are very popular, they are great for Irish skin colour! Although I found that beige suits can look incredibly attractive on men even with pale skin tones.

This is to be continued next week with more beauty tips, tips on how to get your flowers right and how to plan your honeymoon so it won't cost you a fortune!